Rudyard Kipling

[Stephen Whiteside]

I've just started reading a biography on Rudyard Kipling. It focusses on his early life in India. It's quite a tome - not sure how I will go with it.

However, I feel I should know more about Kipling. He was quite clearly a huge influence on Banjo Paterson. I read a little about Robert Service recently - the man who wrote so many memorable ballads about the Canadian Yukon - and was not really surprised to learn that Kipling had been a huge influence on him, too.

Of course, with all his associations with British imperialism, Kipling has been out of fashion for some time, but you cannot deny his power as a writer.

[Shelley Hansen]

Hi Stephen

I don't know much about Kiplings' life, but I love his work. Of course I grew up with The Jungle Book (Bagheera was always my favorite character and I was delighted when they chose Ben Kingsley to voice the role in the recent remake).

When I was working I always had a copy of If on my office wall. So many words of wisdom!

Cheers
Shelley

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, you actually do hear a bit of Kipling around the traps at the Poets' Breakfasts - I am thinking especially of Ed Scott who regularly used to perform "Gunga Din" at Maldon.